The Pirate and the Princess
by MissGrangerDanger
Summary: The back story of Princess Aurora and Captain Hook. It's the tale of who they once were and who the came to be once upon a time ago. Story inspired by The Princess Bride.
1. As You Wish

The Pirate and the Princess

Author's Note: I got this idea and inspiration from The Princess Bride. I love the idea of Hook and Aurora together and I love how OUAT makes characters other characters (Ex: Rumpelstiltskin is also the Beast and the Crocodile). I know that The Princess Bride isn't technically a fairytale but OUAT just did an episode on Dr. Frankenstein so I figure I could get away with it. This is basically Hook and Aurora's back-story. I had to change some of the history of both the characters and the story of TPB just to make this story flow better. Also a lot of chapter one is repeated lines from TPB but it's only to set up where the story will go. Anyway I hope you really like it!

Aurora ran into the forest crying her eyes out. She almost tripped over the skirt of her newly made lavender colored dress that her guardians made early for her birthday. It was the nicest and prettiest thing she had ever owned, and there was a reason why. It had hit her like a ton of bricks when she learned that she was really a princess and that her hand was soon to be for some prince in a kingdom she didn't even know of.

Early that day she had been the happiest she had ever been. Whilst collecting berries when she had met him. Phillip. His brown hair reminded her of an autumn's day, faded from the brightness of summer. Those eyes, deep blue like sapphire jewels. Aurora had always thought there was such thing as love at first sight and she felt as if she truly did love him.

It wasn't the first time she had experienced such strong sentiments though. There was one other time before but she knew that she confused love with plain adoration. Usually her guardians kept her locked up to the best of their abilities. She was never to go as far as the forest when picking her berries. But Aurora couldn't help herself. She loved being around people. There was a nearby village a few miles south that she'd go to. A farmer there took notice of her admiration for the horses he owned and took pity on her. He let her ride any one of the horses she'd like whenever she was around. Aurora would go to that village as often as she could and would ride the horses because it made her feel free. Free of any rules and restrictions given to her.

During her visits she would see a boy helping out the old farmer with various chores. From the looks of things it appeared as if he was an orphan and the farmer took him in. At the time Aurora was ten so it was easy for her to immediately fancy this boy who was older than her by six years, despite knowing he didn't notice her a bit. She never knew his name though so she only referred to him as farm boy.

The last time she saw farm boy was when she was twelve. He had just turned eighteen and was eligible to be drafted to sea to fight in a war regarding the several kingdoms. All she knew was that he died in battle after word came to his surrogate father, the farmer. Apparently the ship he was on was attacked by the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, who left no prisoners alive.

She ran all the way to the special spot she met Phillip at, completely out of breath. She rested against the tree with tears rolling down her cheek. It still felt like a dream. Only a few hours prior they were dancing having the most wonderful time ever. Aurora thought she had it better when she was just a simple peasant girl than becoming a princess all of a sudden and being promised to a prince, whom she had never met in her life. How was that anyway to live?

Lost in her own thoughts about how the day before her could possibly get more dreadful she gasped in shock when she saw three men standing far off to her right. The one at the left was a giant. She had never seen a man so tall. His black hair was curly and he wore a blank stare. The one in the middle was the shortest of the three. He was bald and entwined his fingers together looking the most trusting of them all. The last one was of normal height and had longer black hair. He carried a sword that was put a way; this alarmed Aurora. At first she was scared and startled until the small one began to speak easing her mind momentarily.

"A word, my lady. We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby?"

"There is nothing nearby," Aurora began. "Not for miles."

Without looking towards the shorter man, the giant began to head towards her raising his arm. Aurora's fear returned to her surface. The last thing she heard was the bald man speak as the giant touched the side of her neck.

"Then there will be nobody around to hear you scream."

In an instant Aurora passed out as the giant pinched her neck. She began to let out a scream but fell short of it becoming louder. Her body collapsed making the giant steady her and hold her up in his arms. He picked her up and carried her over to the two other men.

"I did it Vizzini," the giant said as if he was seeking approval.

"I can see that you oaf," Vizzini remarked. The way he spoke was a cross between a yell and a whine. "Now get the princess to the boat." He stared at the sleeping beauty for a moment before saying, "I hear that they call her Briar Rose… I don't see it. She looks more like a Buttercup if you ask me."

The only thing that was closer to the forest other than the nearby village was a lone dock that fisherman used from time to time. It was currently deserted of any people, the perfect opportunity to kidnap a princess.

Vizzini ripped off a piece of fabric. It was from an old uniform used to serve a king from one of the several kingdoms in all the land. When his other companion, Inigo asked what he was doing Vizzini explained the course of action he was taking.

"King George is still bitter about this one's parents giving her hand to Prince Phillip. He wanted his son James to be betrothed to her, gaining more land and making his family's power stronger. That's why he hired us. We're going to start a war."

"Why?" The giant asked.

"Haven't you been listening Fezzik?" Vizzini shrieked. "We're going to pin the murder on Phillip's family making the king and queen of Princess Aurora seek vengeance. Throughout all the war and bloodshed, King George will take from these families when they are too busy to notice."

"You never said anything about killing anyone," Fezzik said.

The two began to argue, mostly just Vizzini babbling about and commanding orders. When he was done screaming he ordered that they should set sail at once. He threw the ripped garment and the necklace that Aurora once wore to the docks before the boat parted ways. He knew that her fairy guardians would go looking for her since they were hiding her away from the evil Maleficent. Vizzini had figured what was going on with the fairies after King George hired him to go searching for the princess. Plus it was common knowledge the Maleficent had planned a curse to fall upon Aurora on her sixteenth birthday, which was days away. He felt pride knowing he'd accomplish something more sinister than Maleficent's sleeping curse and get to do it before she'd ever find the princess.

Night fell fast and Aurora was awake just before twilight faded. She was terrified of what had happened and did not make any attempts to look at her captors in the eyes. Ever since she became a princess her life honestly turned into such a nightmare. Once again she was lost in her thoughts but often listened to the captors speak trying to see if there was some way she could get out of the situation she found herself in. If she could just send a message for help or something, she might be able to.

"You are sure nobody is following us?" Inigo asked for the second time.

Vizzini swore up and down that there was nobody there and that they were all in the clear. It wasn't until the Spaniard mentioned and pointed out a boat that could just be seen behind them. As Vizzini began to make excuses as to why there would be a ship besides theirs out at night Aurora began to see her way out of this mess. If she jumped out into the water and swam to the other boat she could get help. She would take her chances with whoever was aboard that ship than with the lot she was with now.

Without thinking she dove into the water uncaring that it was cold. She extended her arms and began to swim in the direction of the ship following them, hearing Vizzini shout in the background. Her heart raced a mile a minute despite knowing that it would take them a bit to turn the boat around. If she could keep going she'd make it to the other boat before they caught up.

But there was something Aurora hadn't realized. Swimming along the current, something moved beside her. She was horrified when it began to snarl and moan. Her mind was blank as to what it could be but Vizzini's annoying shouts clued her in.

"Do you know what that sound is, Highness? Those are the shrieking eels. If you don't believe me, just wait! They always grow louder when they're about to feed on human flesh. If you swim back now, I promise, no harm will come to you. I doubt you'll get such an offer from the eels."

It was enough for Aurora to swim back in the direction she came. She put a lot of force in her body making her feel exhausted with each stroke she took. Behind her she could feel the eel charge. She was sure that she was done for until she felt Fezzik's giant hand pick her up and bring her back aboard the ship. She was so tired that she fell back to sleep unable to keep her eyes open.

When they finally did pen back up she found that morning was upon them and that the ship was now at dock aside of the cliffs of insanity. Aurora had only heard stories about them and was amazed to see it in person. She was less amazed when learning that Fezzik would carry the four of them up the cliff to escape from the sailor that had been following them.

Aurora had been scared many times during the past twenty four hours but this was the most terrified she had been. These men were insane. There was no way that they wouldn't die. When she was hooked up to the odd belt that Fezzik wore she began to say her final prayers because she expected nothing but death. Her heart thumped loudly, sure that it would explode from all the anxiety pressed upon her. The whole way up she closed her eyes not wanting to look at what was happening. However she couldn't help but open them when Inigo announced that the mysterious sailor was gaining on him. Her head rushed when looking down seeing how high up they truly were. Her eyes got hold of a fully dressed black figure climbing effortlessly up the cliffs.

"Inconceivable," Vizzini breathed. Her sentiments exactly.

To her surprise and astonishment they actually made it up to the top. When she was safely brought to the summit she rested along the ground, almost hugging it as if it would comfort her. It had all happened so fast that she couldn't quite recognize that Vizzini cut the rope they used to make the man in black fall. But when the bald man began to shout again she knew that the man in black had managed to stay on. Part of her wanted to look, hoping that he'd rescue her from these people but she was quickly taken away with both Vizzini and Fezzik before she could get close enough to the edge.

The man in black struggled as he brought one hand up to a sturdy rock within the cliff. He tried to quickly decipher which one to grab next. As he climbed up he thought that this was awfully a lot of trouble to nick some precious jewels held by these sailors. But whatever it was they were trying to keep from him must have been very valuable if they were willing to go up this cliff as well. Also curiosity got the best of him.

One of the three men began to make small chat with him letting him know of their impending duel. As he climbed he tried to urge him into letting him help reach the top. The man in black didn't trust him and preferred to do it on his own knowing he'd be killed. He changed his mind however when his opponent swore on the life of his father that he'd make it to the top alive. The man in black thought of his own father and a small morsel of him softened enough for him to get the rope lowered to him.

The sword fight didn't happen right away, his opponent was kind enough to let him take a small breather. He learned that his name was Inigo Montoya and how a six-fingered man had killed his father. Inigo had first asked the man in black if by some chance he had six fingers.

"Do you always begin conversations this way?" The man in black raised the hand that supposedly had six fingers on it, only showing five. "Sorry, I think I'll only have ten fingers in total," he said of both his hands.

After listening to Inigo talk about his plan of vengeance the man in black couldn't bring himself to kill him. He knew that he'd win this duel but he would only knock out Inigo so he wouldn't follow them. The sword fight was one of the best ones he had had in a while and Inigo really knew how to properly fight. It was wonderful to fight someone who wasn't either left or right handed like him.

Just as he suspected, he won and proceeded to clunking him on the head. The man in black found that it wasn't as easy as he would have liked it to have been though since he had to fight a giant shortly after. To no avail he then found the last of the three sitting idly on a rock with a blindfolded girl. Whoever she was, must have been the treasure they were hiding away. The man in black gathered quickly she must have been a royal or something.

Vizzini was going on and on about how he couldn't steal what was already stolen, which amused him to no end. He stole already stolen objects on a daily basis and would do the same. The bald man challenged him to a battle of wits, which was even more laughable.

This supposed battle of wits involved so much stupidity in his eyes. The man in black put poisoned powder into both goblets of wine resting on the rock that was between both of them. The man in black claimed to have only put it in one and that Vizzini had to guess the correct one. What he didn't know was that the powder wouldn't affect him since he had built up an immunity towards it. While the annoying man began to babble about which goblet to choose, the man in black looked at the blindfolded princess. She shook every so often scared of what was to happen to her. Part of him pitied her. He imagined what she'd look like when he could see her eyes. Even when they were covered she looked very beautiful. Vizzini then pulled the oldest trick in the book and claimed that something was happening behind the man in black. Humoring him, the man in black turned as the bald one switched goblets.

No longer delaying the inevitable both men took a drink from their cups and Vizzini fell victim to the poison. When he dropped dead, the man in black rose from his seat on the rock and went towards the princess. He pulled the blind away from her and was answered to what he suspected. She was truly beautiful.

Aurora looked at who had been following her this whole time, her rescuer. He had dark brown hair and eyes that looked like a sea after a storm. In a way he looked like Phillip but at the same time he didn't at all. There was something more ruggedly handsome about him. Somehow Aurora was also reminded of her farm boy. Someone who she hadn't thought about in a while.

She was at a loss for words until she uttered, "Who are you?"

"I go by many names Princess."

"Please tell me," she asked.

"As you wish," the man in black said as he began to make a showy bow. "May I introduce myself to you, your Highness as the Dread Pirate Roberts."


	2. What the Heart Desires

Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated but the hurricane knocked out my power. I would have updated way sooner. Thanks for all the positive feedback and I'll try to keep adding on chapters soon to make up for lost time.

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Aurora backed up in pure horror. In that moment she wished to be kidnapped again by her former captors. It seemed that she went from one bad situation to an even worse one. Her foot tripped over a rock causing her to stumble backwards and begin to fall. Before she even hit the ground Roberts caught her pulling her to him. Every part of her froze by the mere touch afraid that he'd snap her neck or stab her straight through the heart.

"Easy there Highness, you're much more valuable if there's no extensive damage done to that pretty little head of yours," Roberts smirked.

"Let go of me," Aurora demanded.

"As you wish," he murmured again. Instantly the pirate dropped his hold and held out his hands flat to gesture that it was no big deal that she recoiled in disgust. He turned around to the dead body behind him and began to crouch. Riffling through his pockets, Roberts found some spare change that he gladly took. It was the only thing he could pretty much do with the dead corpse since he didn't have much respect for him to be buried. "Now we will be on our way."

When he looked back over to her he found that the princess had already made a dash for it not wasting any time. A small smile formed on the Dread Pirate Roberts' face, amused that he didn't have a slacker for a captive. The girl clearly never had to run for her life though as Roberts had to do many other times before so it was easy to catch up to her. His arms wrapped around her waist and entrapped her in his tight embrace.

"Let go!" she half sobbed, half screamed. Aurora tried to fight his grip but he was too strong.

"Only if you promise not to run Highness."

"Why even bother? You're just going to kill me!"

"Am I?" Roberts spoke as if this was news to him.

"The Dread Pirate Roberts never takes prisoners. He only kills them," Aurora said as she had been told this many times before.

"It's good to see that my reputation precedes me," he chuckled. With no ability to care he gently inhaled the scent of her hair. It smelled of roses, sunflowers and orchards all rolled into one. He hadn't been near a woman in over a month let alone one who captured the beauty of the girl before him. He wouldn't do anything more though; even for a pirate he had some table manners. He let her go again. "Worry not Princess, because like I said you are far too valuable to kill. Even I can make an exception for that. I bet your family would trade all the riches in the world just to have you safely back home."

"Home," Aurora scoffed. The home he referred to was a palace that she had never been in nor ever wanted to go to. And the only real home she had was built on lies thanks to her guardians. "I have none of which you speak."

"Is that bitterness I detect in your voice Highness?" Roberts asked, his smile wired. "What's the matter? Did the King take away your favorite horse?"

"Do not talk to me like I'm a child!" Aurora snapped.

"From the looks of it you are. You mustn't be older than fifteen. I never understood why royals are so eager to marry away their children at such a young age. What a dull and boring life, to be married and have kids of your own before twenty."

"I'll be sixteen in a few days," Aurora replied as if that were enough to convince him she wasn't a child. "And for your information I do not wish to be married."

"Oh so that's what it is," the pirate said in delight. "You hate the suitor your parents arranged for you. Not like that's a surprise though. All princes are stuffy ninnies anyway."

"How would you know? I doubt someone such as yourself has ever been near a royal before," she retorted, her anger rising. She didn't wish to be having any conversation with him, let alone this one. The wound was still too new.

"I'm standing next to one now aren't I?"

She didn't know what came over her. Her temper reached its max and she found herself raising a hand that efficiently left a bright red mark over Roberts' cheek. For the moment her better judgment went out the window. In a movement that made her stomach hurt like needles were jabbing at it, he faced back to her with a serious glare.

"Be very carefully Highness. If you try something like that again, there will be penalties."

Aurora said nothing. She couldn't take her eyes away from his cold ones. For what once looked like the sea after a storm became a roaring hurricane. She swallowed knowing that she was showing off every bit of fear she had. This seemed to please Roberts. He was only a few years older than her too, she could tell. Aurora wondered how could someone that young at heart could be so cruel. Slowly she uttered, "If I do what you say, will you bring me back?"

The Dread Pirate Roberts contemplated this statement and pondered, "Eventually. But first I need to send out a little message alerting your parents that you are under my captivity. After that they will send me their riches and I'll ship you back," he explained. "Now tell me, of which royal family do you belong to? King George? Queen Regina?"

"I… I don't know," Aurora said truthfully. She knew that this answer wouldn't be acceptable to Roberts.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He snapped.

"I…" It was too much. The overwhelming anxiety she felt and the heat that was now radiating off of her back began to get the best of her. Her vision became blurry and her head began to pound. She could tell that Roberts asked her again but his voice was only a small echo in her ears as the world began to slip away from her.

When she awoke Aurora experienced a bit of déjà vu. Once again she found herself on a boat. Only this one was smaller than the last one she had been on and it was only crewed by one man. Roberts. She watched him steer the ship up above by the big wheel. The sight before her reminded her of loneliness. To be at sea and have nothing but a ship and the ocean made Aurora long for her guardians, despite how mad she was at them for the time being.

"Good. You're awake," Roberts replied walking down the steps.

Aurora slowly pushed herself back to get away regardless of there being no place to run. The pirate caught sight of this and the expression on his face stiffened. She could see there was anger planted on it, but it was as if she wasn't the one he was angry at.

"My deepest apologies Highness. I regret that I was very hard on you. Listen, I say it's best if we both work together to reach our common goals. You want to get back home and I‒"

"Want to steal from my family," she finished for him.

"Well if you want to put it that way then… yeah."

Aurora drew her eyes away from him and looked out to the sea. The sun was just about to set. The bright orange and yellow colors were all seen thorough the horizon. Sometimes when she was younger she'd sneak away to the dock by her cottage and look at the horizon endlessly. She'd always wondered if there was anybody on the other side waiting for her like she was waiting for them. In her heart she pictured Phillip to be there.

"Do what you like," she said defeated. There wasn't anyway she'd have a choice in the matter. She guessed what it all really came down to was for Roberts to get what he wanted so he'd let her go. But then she thought about going back to her guardians only to be taken away and never seeing Phillip again. Aurora couldn't bear the thought of that. Abruptly she turned back to look at the handsome pirate. His beard was just growing in, indicating it had been shaved recently. His dark hair was messily combed as the ocean's wind blew through it. "I don't want to go back though."

"What do you mean Princess? You wish to sail the seas with a foul buccaneer like me?" He smiled at the absurd thought.

"Don't be ridiculous," Aurora shook her head humorlessly. "I'll help you get your jewels if that's what it'll take but in return I seek your help.

"What sort of help?"

"After you get what you desire you take me away before the King and Queen can ever get a hold of me. Then you bring me to Phillip."

"Phillip?" Roberts questioned. "Let me guess he's some poor farmer that you fell madly in love with over your prince, am I right?"

"I always preferred farm boys to princes anyway," she commented.

Something in his face softened at that comment. Roberts hadn't expected her to be like she was at all. He figured her to be a typical spoiled bratty royal, the same as them all. But there was something about this girl that was different, that was deeper. There was also a sense of familiarity that loomed from her ever since he laid eyes on her.

"All right Highness, you've got yourself a deal," Roberts decided. "Not only do I enjoy to steal, I also enjoy to dupe. And duping a King would please me greatly." He held out a hand for her to take so she would stand. Noticeably she hesitated for a second but eventually let him reach for her. "Now where is this Phillip of yours so I know where to drop you off when all is said and done."

"Um, I… don't know."

Roberts looked at her blankly, "You sure don't know a lot eh? Do you have an amnesia curse or something?"

"It's just that I've only met him one other time."

The blankness on the pirate's face only deepened. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped knowing it was inappropriate for a lady to hear. Instead he said, "You've only met him one time? And you're going to run away with him?"

"Yes," Aurora answered. She felt the need to explain herself more when he looked at her like she was the crazy one. She hastily added, "Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

"No," he scoffed. "But who am I to judge? You're fifteen and clearly know what's best for you." His voice had a tone of sarcasm to it.

"Why do I still feel like you think I'm a child?"

"Maybe I was a bit harsh to say something like that. Clearly there's a better word to describe you," Roberts remarked.

"And that would be?" Aurora asked waiting for a damn good reply.

"Naive," he laughed lightly.

"What's so naive about being in love?" Aurora asked wanting to know his answer.

"Because it doesn't last. Not ever. I've seen enough to know that," the pirate looked at the faded orange sky and replied thoughtfully. "All it does is cause heartbreak. Why would anyone want that?"

"Have you ever been in love?" Aurora began to imagine many things. She pictured the Dread Pirate Roberts being in love with a beautiful maiden. They were happy and they had the world in their hands but something must have happened. She left him or she died. The story she made up in her head though didn't at all match up to the simplicity of the pirate's mindset.

"No, and I'd rather die before I'd fall in love."

Aurora was shocked to hear someone make such a statement. In the back of her mind she thought that maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised that a pirate couldn't love. They weren't really painted in a good picture. But it still came as a shock that someone could never even want to be love, which is what she could gather about him so easily. Taken out of her on thoughts, Aurora looked back to the captain of the ship as he began to speak.

"First things first. We'll track down your farm boy and then I'll send my message, getting you one step closer to your happily ever after Highness."


	3. If My Heart was a Compass You'd be North

Seeing land coming into view made Aurora rise with excitement. She had been on the water far too long and wished to be on the earth again. The ship docked soon enough and she was the first to be off as Roberts sent the anchor plummeting down into the sea. Passed the docks was a small beach that went on for a little bit until there was a mass of tropical trees. Despite knowing that they would be stopping she didn't know why it would be on this particular island.

"Why are we here? What's so important about this place?" she inquired curiously.

Roberts grunted as he pushed the anchor off the side of the boat and said, "To find your farm boy." As he came around the other side he jumped over to the edge and landed, feet planted, onto the dock. He could see her confusion, probably because she couldn't figure how he'd know where to look. "He's not here of course, though it would be some good luck to run into him I suppose."

"Then why?" Her voice was light as the pale blue sky painted above.

"There's something here that can help find your, how do you call it, true love?"

The princess couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Not because she didn't think that Phillip was her true love but because she knew that Roberts was making fun of her since he believed in no such thing. She looked around the island's beginnings and saw no sign of any activity. It looked deserted. How could there be anything here to help her find Phillip when all she saw was palm trees and coconuts?

The Dread Pirate Roberts took out an old crinkled paper and began to unfold it. Aurora was interested in what he was looking at so intently that she walked over to him. It was a map, and not just a simple one at that. It seemed like a real treasure map, like all the ones she heard about in the pirate stories told to her. For a while she study the lines until she felt Roberts' eyes on her. She realized this was the closest she had ever been near him, of her own free will of course and apart from when he was keeping her from running.

A smirk formed on his lips, "Care to go on an adventure Highness?"

Aurora took a few small steps away as if she wanted to look back out to the sea. She played the fabric of her lavender dress as her lips parted. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

Roberts made up for the steps she took away from him only to get closer. His smile became less arrogant and more playful. "And what would I call you now, my Princess?"

She felt as if she was blushing and hoped her cheeks didn't appear to be the same rosy color she felt them to be. Something about his usage of 'my' made her flush in discomfiture. Aurora cleared her throat and thought of something to say instead of standing in silence. "I'm a woman of many names Captain," she remarked thinking of their first meeting. In theory it was true. Her birth name was Aurora but their had been times during her life where her guardians would refer to her as Briar Rose or just Rose as sort of a pet nickname. She didn't know why though.

"That's fine, be coy," he laughed. "But I'm going to keep calling you Highness. I like it."

"Why?"

"Because it suits you," he said as he walked away looking back down at the map.

Aurora thought he meant it in a demeaning way and kept quiet feeling embarrassed. She couldn't have been more wrong though. Roberts liked calling her Highness because the prettiest jewels were always the highest above sight and hard to find. Her beauty matched the name he called to her. She followed him as he continued to read the map until he stopped suddenly almost causing her to walk right into him.

"We're suppose to go this way," he pointed on the map for her to get a clear view of where they were going.

"What is it that we are trying to find?" She asked.

"A compass," Roberts answered.

"Why are we looking for a compass? You're a pirate. Shouldn't you already have one?" Aurora could feel her tone was sort of anxious. She wanted to get to Phillip and it seemed like Roberts was all of a sudden leading her astray.

"You don't understand," he began to explain. "This isn't a normal compass. It points in the direction of love. When we get it you'll hold it and we will be on our way to finding your dearest Phillip."

She side eyed him, "I thought you said you don't believe in love, so how can you be sure this will work?"

"I don't. But since it's our only option in finding farm boy, I guess I'll carry a little faith, for you of course," the pirate joked.

"How kind of you," she retorted.

The pair began to make their way deeper into the island. Roberts used his sword to cut down and branches or big plants that were in their path. As they went along he explained that he had so many treasure maps kept in his possession. He planned to go through all of them at some point in his lifetime and was happy to be accompanied on one of his adventures.

Aurora began to really think about what he was saying though. She had been so caught up in the fear she first experienced, to planning to runaway from her short royal life. There had been stories circling a good portion of her life, from what she could remember about The Dread Pirate Roberts and his reign of terror. Looking at the man in front of her, he looked nothing more than a few years older than her. Perhaps he looked very young for his age she thought. But doubted that since The Dread Pirate Roberts had been sailing the seas for many years. Aurora kept this to herself however in fear that her suspicions were wrong and he'd lash out on her. But even that she doubted. He did threaten her that one time on the Cliffs of Insanity but as crazy as it seemed it still didn't feel as cruel as it could have been. As cruel as what the tales described him to be.

Her side then smacked against his hand that he offered to her. She was too taken in with her thoughts that she hadn't realized that they were now standing by a brook. It wasn't really clear how shallow the water was in the stream. Aurora stared as if she didn't know what to do with the hand reaching out for her.

"Better not get that pretty little dress of yours wet now," Roberts said.

She didn't think if he'd be offended or not by what she said next. "For a pirate you sure do have some gentlemen like qualities."

She slowly reached for his hand as he steadied her onto a rock lying into the stream. There was a pathway of stones, which she took to get across the brook to the other side. The whole time Roberts held her hand, keeping her balanced. His hand was warm compared to her cold one. The heat that his palm transmitted made her feel somewhat comfortable, an odd and pleasing feeling all wrapped into one. Eventually there came a point half way along the brook where the nearest stone in line was too far away for her to hop over to. This dismayed the princess until she felt the pirate's other hand touch the side of her waist. She gazed down at those blue eyes of his. Something about the way he looked in that moment reminded her of her farm boy; the first one. He could have been a dead ringer.

"It'll be easier if I carry you," he explained.

With no reluctance at all Aurora let him scoop her up in his arms and carry her across the brook for the rest of the way. She peered over his shoulder, not daring to look at him back in the eyes. The trip was far too short and he had set her back down straight in no time making her skin tingle. He then took her by the hand again, surprising her, as he led them away from the stream.

"This way Princess."

They walked and walked until she could do so no more. Aurora didn't want to be tired and act like how she supposed all other princesses were. Part of her didn't want to behave so in front of Roberts, proving she wasn't like them. But she needed to rest. She took a seat on the rocks her breathing slightly heavy.

"Take a rest," he said compassionately. "I'll go see if I can get us something to eat."

Aurora hoped that it wouldn't be fish. That's all she had been easting the past day on his ship. But if he somehow came back with trout, most likely from that stream, she wouldn't complain. It was another thing that she didn't want to do in front of Roberts. Her tiredness was more than what she expected because as soon as she closed her eyes, only meaning to do so for a second, she fell asleep.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," Roberts called to her.

The princess's eyes fluttered open finding that he was watching over her as she slept. To the side she saw a collection of fruit that he gathered for them. She was extremely grateful that it wasn't fish. They ate for a bit before Roberts suggested that they'd get a move on. It would be dark in a few hours and they needed to get a hold of that compass as soon as possible. He also brought up the subject of her parents again. Roberts wanted to know why she couldn't just tell him who they were so they could send out the message of her captivity. Little did he know that it was complicated.

Aurora had ran away heart broken before she could let her guardians tell her the whole story. At the time she did not wish to listen to them. She didn't know why her parents had sent her away to live at a cottage in the woods only to collect her sixteen years later and marry her off to some unknown prince. Now with a clearer head she was curious and so many questions floated about. But with her plan to find Phillip she supposed there was no reason to ever find out.

In the trees above, she heard the most beautiful melody being sung. It came from a songbird. It wasn't like the ones living around her cottage, it looked more exotic. But she recognized it to be like the ones she grew up with. Another thing that she liked to do to pass the time was sing to the songbirds in the forest. Somehow they always paid attention to her singing and would spend time with her during the day. Aurora listened to the tune that the bird sung and began to sing the same one gaining its attention.

Roberts watched, not removing his eyes from the songbird and the princess with the voice of pure gold. Her voice made him flashback to a memory from years back. One day when he was cleaning the stables of his former home he heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. It had come from a small little village girl who his adoptive father had let ride his horses. She was brushing the horse she had chosen to ride for the day. He always thought she must have been given a gift of song for it to be that pretty. Whenever he saw the girl at the stables he was sad for her. He didn't know much about the girl or what her story was but he always pictured her to be a poor unfortunate soul with no parents. His father had taken pity on her after all. Even though the voice of the princess was remarkably close to the young girl from his past he didn't believe they were the same. The girl before her was a royal. Her light brown hair was perfectly brushed, not a knot in sight. A lavender ribbon held it up. Her dress looked like it cost more than some treasure he had managed to find. If it wasn't for the voice and the uncanny resemblance he'd have thought the two girls were one in the same.

The bird perched on her finger as she turned to him. "Write your message down. I'll send this bird to give it to people who will surely deliver it to my mother and father," Aurora said having her guardians in mind.

"How can a songbird do so? It doesn't seemed trained to carry messages across the land," the pirate doubted.

"Because," Aurora began. "It understands me. I don't know how, I just know it does."

Roberts did as she asked of him and took out a message he had been saving in his pocket. He handed it over to the princess, their fingers brushing up against each other. She then pulled one end of the ribbon in her hair and it began to shower over her shoulders in loose waves like the ocean. It wasn't necessarily curly but it wasn't fully straight either. She tied the message with the ribbon to one of the bird's feet and sang one more time for the bird to listen to what she was asking of it. Afterwards the songbird began to fly away.

"Shall we find that compass?" She asked as she watched the bird soar through the sky.

Soon the tropical plants and trees surrounding them became less and less and the wildlife soon looked more like the ones she lived around. Roberts mentioned that the reason they specifically docked at the island was because it held a portal that would take them to another land. One he called the Fire Swamp. As they entered the new land he began to tell her of the tales that people who passed by had spoken of.

"Stick close Highness, you don't want to get attacked by the R.O.U.S." Although it was meant to sound as if he was concerned there was a bit of teasing in his voice.

"What in the kingdoms is that of which you speak," Aurora asked uncertain of how she should react.

"Rodents of Unusual Size," he answered freely. He let his hand fall from his sword's handle that remained in its sheath. "But don't worry, that's only a myth. I don't believe they exist."

"Why is this called the Fire Swamp?"

Before he could answer, Roberts grabbed Aurora by the waist and seized her, picking her up away from the fire that had burst up from where she was previously standing. Her heart was beating rapidly as he set her back down on the ground. She clung to him, hands resting on his forearms. He could feel her shake lightly.

"That's why Princess."

Slowly she pulled away knowing that it wasn't right to be clinging to him like she did. In hopes of getting her mind off of the deadly fire she gave a small chuckle as if to put on a brave face, "So the R.O.U.S., how big are they in the myth?"

Once again Roberts couldn't respond right away. But that was because an oversized rodent jumped on him. Roberts plunged to the ground with a big filthy rat faced creature on top of him. Aurora looked on in horror taking in the terrible view. It was as big as the pigs she used to see when visiting the farm. The fur was brown and raggedy. Two long snaggleteeth bucked out of its mouth. In a swift motion the R.O.U.S. chomped into Robert's shoulder blade. The pirate let out a groan but pushed it off of him with force. He began to pull out his sword to try and stab it but another rodent came out of nowhere and attacked him knocking the weapon out of his hand.

While he was busy with the second, Aurora could see that the first R.O.U.S. was coming at her. She trembled and shook while taking in her surroundings. The first thought that came to mind was to run but she doubted that she could get very far with that thing chasing her. To her right she saw Robert's sword lying on the ground. She ran to it, hating her dress for the very first time because she kept tripping over her skirt. By the third time she began to stumble over it, she fell before getting to the weapon all the way. She extended and arm out which barely touched the handle of the blade. The strange moaning shriek that the R.O.U.S. made was getting closer so Aurora clawed at the handle with her fingernails to get hold of it.

Everything happened so fast that she wasn't quite aware of what happened when it did. Rolling over, Aurora laid on her back and swung the sword in the nick of time. When she swung the blade it pierced the neckline of the rodent cutting through it completely. Disgusted, she pushed what was left of the hideous body off of her, longing to take a bath right away. After rising she could see that Roberts was having trouble with getting the second rodent off of him. The wound that he had received was starting to affect him. Aurora ran over and didn't think about it as she stabbed it the same as she did the other. She had to stab it repeatedly before its moaning shriek finally died out along with it. With her boot she kicked it off of her companion as he stared up at her surprised and amazed.

"You saved my life."

"Now we're even," she replied. He looked at her with confusion not understanding what she meant. Aurora held out a hand which he took using the hand on his good arm. "You're saving my life by taking me away from my family," she explained.

Roberts winced a few times, the pain in his shoulder getting worse. When they got to where the compass was suppose to be buried, Aurora saw that it was trapped in quicksand. Roberts intended on tying himself with a nearby tree vine and diving into it to retrieve the object. Aurora didn't like that idea at all.

"Are you crazy?" She asked.

"Come on, Highness. It's all apart of the adventure."

"Not in your condition. Your wound needs to be tended to."

"It will be," he said while grabbing a vine. "After I get the compass."

The princess couldn't argue with him much since he already dove into the quicksand. She wanted to have faith and to believe that The Dread Pirate Roberts was invincible but her fear overcame her. Aurora had a sickening feeling that she was about to be all alone. She waited for a few minutes knowing that he drowned. There was no way that he could go without air for that long. That's why when the top of a head bobbed out of the sand she screamed, startled. Quickly she ran over to the vine that was tied to him and began to pull with all of her might.

Roberts gasped for air as she dragged him. When he was close enough to the surface she pulled him into her arms letting him rest there for a bit. His breaths were heavy but eventually went in synch to her small ones. She brushed his hair back soothingly and looked down at him.

"If you do something like that again, I'll kill you."

He held up the compass in his hands as if to show of his success. "All part of a pirate's life my Princess."

There was that word again. My. This time it made her heart flutter. Gradually she helped him stand up and they began to exit the Fire Swamp. Along the way Roberts limped. Aurora was getting tired carrying him but wouldn't back down seeing how he needed her help even though he wouldn't say it aloud. She was relieved when she saw that the area had changed again. This time there appeared to be a meadow and fields covered in wildflowers. Pulling Roberts along she was happy to recognize the flowers knowing that certain ones carried antidotes to animal bites.

Gently, she laid him down in the middle of the field when she came across the familiar yellow flowers that surrounded her cottage home. She picked a few as well as some long leaves to help wrap it over his gash.

"You're going to have to remove your shirt," she said before she began to attend to him.

"Finally got me where you want me eh?" Roberts smirked.

"Sit still, and be quiet," she ordered as she began to set the yellow petals over his cut.

When she was done he handed her the compass to look at. She popped open the cover and looked down at the brass object. She watched the needle spin in every direction never stopping. Aurora frowned as Roberts looked on. The compass was suppose to point the way towards true love yet it didn't quite know the direction to take.

"It'll work when we are on the boat," he assured her. "The sea is clear unlike this place which is loaded of a bunch of nonsense," he gestured to all the wildlife around.

Aurora carefully closed the compass and bit the bottom of her lip. Unsure if it was the right thing to do she asked, "You're not really the Dread Pirate Roberts are you?" Roberts didn't say anything. He just watched her as she began to ramble. Aurora continued, "The Dread Pirate Roberts has been around for so many years and you look only twenty."

Roberts sighed, "Smart one you are Highness. Usually I wear a mask to conceal my youth, but I lost it while climbing the Cliffs of Insanity. If you really want to know I am Roberts but at the same time I am not."

"What does that mean?"

"I went to war at sea. Roberts took prisoner of the ship I was on and he killed all of the crew except for me. It was because I said please and begged him to allow me to live. I needed to return to my father. So he allowed me to live and even took me back himself. When I returned back however I learnt my father died of a heart attack. So Roberts took me back to his ship and said I would be his second mate. Only when we landed in some other kingdom he rounded up a new crew and called me Roberts and named himself my second mate. Roberts was retiring as the other Dread Pirates had and was passing the title on to me."

Aurora stared wide-eyed at him throughout the entire story. It was amazing just to think about but even more incredible when his story matched up to another one she knew of before. The farmer who had taken pity on her had died of a heart attack a few years back. "You're him," she uttered.

The boy knew of what she was speaking of. At first he didn't believe that she was the same girl from the stables but after the way she looked at him when he told her about becoming Roberts he could see that she knew of him from before.

"What's your real name?"

"Westley. You can call me that if you like Highness," he said.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," she repeated.

He paused briefly before replying, "As you wish." When he said that phrase other times before there was an arrogant way about it. This time however there was gentleness in his voice. There was also the way he looked at her. "What shall I call you?"

Aurora thought about saying her real name since he had given her his. But she couldn't quite do it. She wanted to move forward and away from the life she once had and to start fresh. She smiled, "You can name me."

He looked at her with amusement and oddity and laughed. She didn't have to explain herself though. Somehow he just got it. He understood the need to run away. There were left over yellow flower petals between them. He picked one up and began to twirl it between his thumb and pointer finger.

"Buttercup. You're my Buttercup."

Aurora couldn't help but smile and murmured, "And you're my Westley."


	4. Neverland

Author's Note: My biggest apologies for not updating sooner. Things have been crazy with school and work. The good news is though that my finals are almost done so I'll be on vacation soon to update more.

* * *

The needle of the compass spun every which way but north. Aurora watched it, bothered that it wasn't working the way Westley said it would have. She honestly did believe him but she was more disappointed with herself. Maybe there was something wrong with her and that's why the compass wasn't working. But she needed it to work because it was the only way she'd find Phillip and begin her new life, one that didn't include princesses, unwanted fiancés or any royal duties.

The ship swayed back and forth slightly, making her hand shake with the compass. She became more anxious and worried that her shakiness and the movement of the boat were somehow affecting the accuracy of the needle's point. Aurora displayed a big frown on her face resulting in Westley to come over, stopping their latest voyage.

"What's the matter Love?" He asked taking the compass from her hand in a teasing way.

Aurora reached for it wanting to get the object back as if it was just working and he disrupted it. When Westley wouldn't hand it over she stopped and gave a small glare at him which only made him smile more.

"That thing isn't working properly," Aurora said gesturing to the compass.

"Well maybe you just don't know how to use it right," he suggested.

"How hard is it to use?" she asked frustrated. "All I have to do is hold it and it's suppose to guide me to my true love.

"I say this at the risk of being hit but maybe Phillip isn't‒"

"Don't finish that sentence," she warned.

"Excuse me Miss Buttercup but you've only known him for a day. How can you fall for someone in such a short period of time?"

"When you fall in love you'll understand," Aurora explained trying to snatch the compass back again. She was still unsuccessful. "If you're so smart how about you get that thing to work for you."

"I don't need to understand," Westley said as he clicked open the cover of the brass object. "And like I said I don't believe in love so I highly doubt that this…" He stopped short when he peered down to the compass and the needle. The direction it was pointing in made him stare at it for a few seconds before he clicked it closed. Westley handed it over to the princess not wanting to hold it anymore. "Here, you take it. I think it's broken."

He returned to the wheel of the ship and said nothing more. Aurora could have sworn that he was even avoiding eye contact with her. Whatever his problem was, she tried her best to ignore it and focused back on the compass. When it wasn't pointing north for the hundredth time she got aggravated and placed it in her satchel. She went over to Westley who looked upset that she was coming near him.

"What was the point of getting the compass if it is broken? We could have died."

"Well that's the point of an adventure now Buttercup," Westley replied finally looking into her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Aurora asked.

Westley contemplated long and hard before groaning and rolling his eyes, "There might be a magic user in a little village west of here. They can maybe fix the blasted thing."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Aurora smiled happily and content.

"Or we could go somewhere else," Westley murmured.

The princess frowned confused, "What do you mean?"

"There's a place‒ another world‒ where no one will ever find you. It's supposed to be beautiful. There are mermaids and fairies there, which I'm sure a princess like yourself would love. And I've heard that people never grow old there ever. You could be free of your parents. You'll never have to worry about them finding you," he urged.

"What's this place called?" Aurora asked enthralled by what he was telling her.

"Neverland," Westley said. "We could go there and stay forever."

"Forever," she said as her lips slowly parted. "That sounds like a very long time."

A grin played on the pirate's lips as he remarked, "That's the point my Princess. What do you say? Care to go on another adventure with me?"

"But what about Phillip?"

The smile Westley carried faded and he looked off into the horizon instead of at Aurora. The bright sunlight hurt his eyes and made him squint. "I just don't want to get your hopes up. I thought for sure the compass would work, so just incase this magic user can't fix it I want you to have other options." His voice became more softer almost a mere whisper as he said, "We could take care of each other, you and I."

Aurora studied his face and recognized something that she didn't think she'd ever see on the pirate's face. It was hope. She remembered how he had been on his own for a while and how it must have been nice to have somebody around. Although she couldn't quite bring herself to say yes, Aurora found herself asking more about Neverland.

"How would we even get there?"

"There's supposed to be these magic beans that can travel between worlds. I heard that they could be found in an enchanted garden to the east, the opposite direction of the village you wish to seek." The last part he began to mumble. Finding more strength in his voice Westley explained, "I was planning on retiring my title as the Dread Pirate Roberts soon and head to Neverland."

Aurora didn't say anything for a long time. She was trying to decide what was the best thing to do. Rationally she knew that they should head to the village in the west but she also knew that once they found Phillip she'd have to part ways with Westley. The thought of that actually made her sad deep within. That's when she figured out that she wanted to go east, to spend what remaining time left they had with each other. And yet Neverland sounded so wonderful to her…

"I'm up for another adventure if you are," she said and she saw Westley's face slowly begin to light up. She could tell that he was trying his best to keep himself contained. That made her stomach flutter. "As for Neverland, I'm not saying yes but I'm also not saying no."

Westley then uttered three familiar words that held a new different meaning to him. "As you wish."

The journey to the enchanted garden took only a day, due to Westley's persistence in getting one of the magic beans. He knew all the short cuts, even by sea, to take to get to where he wished to go. Part of him thought he was a fool. There was no way she'd want to go with him even if he managed to get the bean. The rest of him held hope, something of which had been lost in him for the longest time. He was a bit unsettled by all of this though. When he saw the way the compass moved when he held it before, he was troubled by what it could mean. Along the way he thought maybe it was best to go back in the opposite direction and get rid of her as soon as possible. He was treading down a very dangerous trail, one of which he had mocked others for doing the same thing.

When they anchored the ship and tied it to the pier Westley began to tell her about the enchanted garden's tale. It would look more beautiful than any garden or meadow she had seen before. The flowers would be larger and more vibrant in color. The bushels of herbs contained massive healing properties and the trees stood tall and strong for over a thousand years. However there was one minor problem. The garden was said to be owned by an enchantress who did not allow anyone to enter it. That meant they would have to sneak in and steal the bean.

Before they left the ship behind Westley turned to her and held something in his hand that he covered with his other. The pirate said, "Lift up your skirt a little."

"What?" Aurora replied shocked.

"Relax Love," Westley replied rolling his eyes. "I need some place to store this," he said holding up the small blade in his hands. He began to crouch down as Aurora reluctantly lifted her skirt to show off her purple boots. "That satchel of yours can only carry tiny objects like your compass. You're going to need this on you if we run into the enchantress." He glided the blade inside her right boot and touch the soft smoothness of her skin a bit too much longer than he thought he should have. When he was finished securing it so that it was snug inside, he pulled the skirt of the lavender dress back down and smoothed out the wrinkles. He didn't have to do that but he impulsively wanted to do whatever kept him closer to her for the longest period of time.

"What will I do if she catches us?" Aurora asked trying to hid her flushed cheeks.

"If we are fortunate, I'll be the one to take care of her. The only reason I gave you that dagger was so you had a way of defending yourself if push came to shove," Westley explained.

The enchanted garden was just as wonderful as Westley had described. Aurora could see through the silver fences that surrounded it that the flowers were the prettiest she'd ever seen and she could smell the delightful aroma all the way from the outside. Westley had taken her by the hand and guided her to the side of the garden and found what he had been looking for. When he had been told about this place from his predecessor in the Dread Pirate Roberts line, there was suppose to be a spot to the side that travelers could go through to get inside. One of the first people who attempted to steal something from the garden had some sort of magic that allowed there to be a weak spot in the gate.

Westley lightly touched the bars of the fence until he felt his hand slip through one. It looked as if he was a ghost touching a solid object. Aurora couldn't help but release a smile when she watched Westley. She had nothing but admiration for how much he knew of all the worlds and realms.

"This way Buttercup," he said taking her through the fence.

The lovely scent smelt ten times more heavenly inside the gated garden. Aurora looked around and became spellbound by everything around her. If Neverland looked half as much like this she would have no reservations about leaving right now. When Westley pulled away from her she felt suddenly upset that she no longer felt the warmth from his palm.

"I'm going to go this way," he said.

"You're leaving me?" She asked.

"Not forever, I just think we'll find it faster if we split up," Westley remarked noticing the look on her face. "Don't be afraid. If I didn't think you could handle yourself I wouldn't leave you alone. Just remember how you were with the ROUS."

"Well how will I know when I find them?"

"They look like a common bean except they give off a little white glow," he explained. "We'll meet back up here in ten minutes."

As Westley began to head his own way, Aurora stopped him. "Wait," she reacted and grabbed him. Aurora threw her arms around him and hugged the pirate. She felt his fingers brush her lower back making her skin tingle and heated with fire. "Be careful okay?"

"As you wish," he repeated.

Aurora wanted to laugh by how he never failed to say those three words ever since their first meeting but she didn't. The look of seriousness and conviction danced along his face, which made her heart feel like it would burst. For the first time Phillip was completely out of her mind. She let go of him but there hands touched briefly before they both went their own way until the tips of the their fingers slide across one another.

She passed by some bushes of bleeding hearts, something of which she found ironic for the time being. The princess felt confused, more so than ever. She had felt so certain of Phillip, more certain than she had felt of anything in her life. When they danced and how he held her made her feel like she was complete. But when Westley came back into her life she began having doubts. Aurora was plagued with the memories of that farm boy who she'd hope to see every time she visited the stables. Her new memories of him saving her from those three dreadful men and how he went on a limb for her to get the compass equally haunted her heart. What was either wonderful or worse was that she discovered that now whenever he said 'as you wish' what he really meant was 'I love you'.

As she walked throughout the garden she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice her surroundings. She became shocked with a concise amount of terror when she faced a white marbled statue of a woman. She was very beautiful but still had a way about her by looking menacing. Aurora studied the statue for a few minutes before she looked passed the sculpture and saw a shrub that appeared to have little specks from it glowing.

The princess rushed to the shrubs and saw that it was growing little white shimmering beans off of it. Her fingers nimbly touched the one nearest to her. Without thinking much off it she plucked it from the shrub and opened her satchel to place it inside. As she was about to turn to go find Westley she was horrified when she saw the marble figure turn into an actual person. Aurora crawled and ducked behind the shrub as the back of the woman faced her.

"Someone's in here that shouldn't be," the enchantress said as she stepped off her platform and began searching through the garden, the way Westley had gone. "They shall die."

Aurora's breathing became more erratic as she put her hand back inside the satchel, desperately pulling out the compass. It dawned on her that perhaps there was nothing wrong with the compass to begin with. It was only her. She didn't know what her heart wanted until now. Quickly she clicked open the cover and watched the needle spin frantically. "Please work," she whispered.

And then it happened. The compass needle finally stopped and it directed her north of where she stood. It finally was guiding her to her love.

She got up from her feet and ran, all the while still focusing on the compass and not trying to get caught by the enchantress. Aurora wanted to call out for Westley; scream his name until he answered her but knew that would only alert the malicious woman. All Aurora wanted in that moment was to find him and burry herself in his arms. She could have smacked herself for wasting such precious time.

More anxiety crashed over her by the time she reached the bleeding heart bush and heard the sound of a struggle from far off. Her legs moved faster than they did in her entire life. Her body ached and wished to stop but there was no stopping her heart now. Aurora pushed past tall leaves the shape of elephant ears and found that the enchantress was holding down her Westley with her magic. His sword was tossed to the side.

"You shall be punished intruder," she spoke wretchedly as she twisted her fingers in the air.

Westley's body pulsed ever time she whirled her fingers. When Aurora heard the snap of bones and his terrible cries she coward down to reach inside her boot and pulled out the dagger. She snuck up from behind just as the enchantress was about to really start the torture. Aurora never thought she'd ever take a life of another. She never as much hurt a fly up until the ROUS. But when she looked at the enchantress all she saw was a wicked and vile witch who would kill her love, and she couldn't allow that to happen.

She struck the enchantress in the back straight through the heart. The moment the blade hit the heart the plants around her began to die along with their master. Aurora let go of the blades handle as the enchantress fell to her knees. Her fingers went back into her satchel and pulled out the magical bean and found that it still remained alive and glowing bright for it had already been picked from the enchantress' grasps. In the other hand she held the compass tightly.

Aurora wept as she got to her pirate's side and pulled him to her. He made a strangled noise as he was moved making her more careful in how she handled him.

Westley reassured her when he said, "It's just a broken arm Love." Her glanced down to his left arm, as it lied there unmoving. He then noticed the compass in her hand and how she held it. The pirate looked up to her when he saw the needle point at him.

"Nobody shall ever touch you," Aurora said as she ran her hand trough his dark hair. Her eyes fluttered down, her lashes thick and full. She let out a meager whisper, "Except for me."

For the last time he said, "As you wish," while he brought his good arm to cup her cheek and tilted his head, touching her plump rosy lips.

Aurora kissed him back craving the slightest touch. Her heart ached in the sweetest way possible as he tenderly held her. She gently nibbled on his bottom lip causing him to smile against her mouth. When he pulled away gently she unenthusiastically did the same still keeping her hand in his soft dark hair.

"I got the bean. We can go to Neverland," Aurora smiled as she placed it into his palm.

"You still want to go?" Westley asked even though he already knew the answer.

"I'd go anywhere with you. You're the one that owns my heart."

They went back out of the garden and headed back up to the ship, hand in hand. Aurora couldn't wipe the smile off her face now that she had truly gotten her farm boy back. They planned on going straight away to Neverland now that nothing was in their way. But that seemed to not be the case. When they got to the dock a bunch of men stepped out of hiding. Two of them pulled Westley away as another grabbed hold of her. Aurora shrieked as she saw an elderly man on a white horse gallop up to her.

"Buttercup!" Westley yelled for her.

The man on the horse looked down upon her and spoke, "Hello Princess."

"Who are you? Aurora asked as she struggled against her captor.

"King George. It seems as if your parents are looking for you. Allow me to return you to them," he smirked wickedly.

Aurora was shoved closer to him as he grabbed her and pulled her up to the horse and rode away. Westley shouted after her as the men held him back. Forever actually didn't last for quite that long.


End file.
